Fel, Marie

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Fel, Marie

Fel, Marie, famous French soprano; b. Bordeaux, Oct. 24, 1713; d. Paris, Feb. 2, 1794. She studied with Christina VanLoo in Paris, making her debut as Venus in the prologue to La Coste’s Philomele at the Opera on Oct. 29, 1734; she subsequently sang with notable success there, and also at court and at the Concert Spirituel. She retired from the operatic stage in 1758. She was renowned for her performances of roles in French operas. Sophie Arnould was one of her pupils. Her brother, Antoine Fel (b. Bordeaux, 1694; d. Bicetre, June 27, 1771), was a singer at the Paris Opera as well as a composer.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire